An artist’s rendering shows the exterior of a new classroom and gymnasium building that could be built if Lometa Independent School District voters next month approve a $4.37 million bond for school expansion. The building’s exterior will feature Lometa limestone. COURTESY NR2 ARCHITECTS INC. Proponents of Lometa school expansion have formed a political action committee to generate support for a $4.37 million bond election to be held next month.

The PAC, with Lometa-area resident David Smith as treasurer, formed Monday night during the Lometa Independent School District’s final public hearing about funding for new classrooms and sports facilities.

The bond package includes four new classrooms, science and technology labs, and a new gymnasium with dressing rooms and a concession area.

Lometa ISD maintenance personnel will improve two classrooms and convert old dressing rooms to four additional classrooms. Maintenance workers also will demolish the 1940s-era barracks that house five classrooms. Demolition will allow for future expansion and will save the district substantial renovation expenses, Superintendent David Rice said at an earlier public forum.

Because the new building mostly will house high school students, Rice said the school will need a new administrative office.

“I don’t want to leave high schoolers all by themselves,” the superintendent said.

The district won’t hire new administrators, however, Rice said. The Lometa ISD has five administrative staff, each of whom teach at least one class in addition to office duties.

“We will let attrition start to thin that number out,” Rice said. move into a new building, existing science facilities will serve elementary students, and an existing computer lab will be used for elementary and junior high classes, Rice said.

If voters in May approve the bond issue, a three-month teacher survey period will allow educators to offer suggestions for designing the new facilities, said architect Mike Nelson of Dallas firm NR2 Architects Inc.

Officials will work hard to incorportate as many of the teachers’ suggestions as possible, Rice said.

“We want to be sure we don’t build a monument to a mistake...“ he said. “We want to build a facility that will be a good fit for the teachers of our community.”

Although PAC organizer David Hamilton said strong support exists for track improvements, Rice said that athletic item — which could cost $800,000 — will not be included in the bond. The initial focus should be on academic buildings, the superintendent said.

“It would be nice if we had a track where we could host two or three track meets a year,” Rice said, “but when you start throwing lots of athletics into it, it gets harder to sell it as something we need.”

Participants in the recent forum, however, agreed that Lometa needs a new gym. Additional facilities for sports and physical education will help fight obesity, said Ben Leggett, a member of the LISD Board of Trustees. By using two gyms, sports practices can end sooner and students can return home earlier, said Rice and teacher Cynthia Kirby.

After discussing the facilities proposed for construction, Rice and Ron Greiner, bond financing counsel for the school district, offered information about funding.

If financed with a 25-year bond at 4.5 percent interest, the school expansion will add to the existing LISD tax rate a levy of $0.30 per $100 property valuation. The LISD’s current tax rate is $1.04 per $100 valuation.

The tax increase would add $131 to the annual bill for the average homestead inside the LISD’s jurisdiction. Based on a productivity value of $79 per acre, the average per-acre agricultural tax would increase $0.24 per year if the LISD issues a 25-year bond.

Homestead property taxes will be frozen for any taxpayer 65 years or older as of Dec. 31, 2010. Property owners ages 65 and older will not receive an exemption, however, from increased agricultural taxes.

Several alternatives to a 25- year bond — including a lowinterest Qualified School Construction Bond made available as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act “stimulus” legislation — may give the Lometa trustees additional funding options.

Rice also noted that LISD has the option of retiring its construction debt early. The district paid off its new cafetorium — originally approved as a 15-year project — in just four-and-a-half years, the superintendent said. Rice said trustees will use available funds, including revenue gained through increased enrollment, to pay off the proposed construction bond early, if possible.

“At the rate we paid off this cafetorium, we’re not just going to be making the minimum payment,” Leggett added. “We’ll be putting forward extra funds.”

Trustees have agreed to retain a construction manager at risk, which Rice said will allow the school board to hire all subcontractors. “We think by doing that we can keep more of the work local,” the superintendent said.

The school board will try to hire Lometa subcontractors, or at least Lampasas County businesses, whenever possible, Rice said.

If the bond passes, new school buildings could be ready for use within about 18 months, depending on weather-related construction delays, Nelson said.

Lometa trustees hope to receive particularly competitive bids, as Nelson noted that construction costs have decreased 30 to 35 percent in the last year to yearand a-half.

“[There’s] not a better time to build than right now,” the architect said.

Rice, who noted that administrators and school board members cannot be involved with the PAC, said he will recommend proceeding with construction only if the bond passes with 65 to 70 percent of votes in favor. Rice expects the bond to be fairly popular, though.

“I went down and voted the other day,” he said, “and everybody I saw said, ‘Good luck on that bond election.’ And that was Republicans and Democrats.”

PAC members — which may include Lometa teachers and nonadministrative LISD staff — plan to distribute fact sheets to voters, especially those who have indicated opposition to the bond. The PAC also will solicit donations for advertisements to explain the school construction proposals.

“I think everybody in Lometa, and everywhere, thinks about what is best for the kids,” said Margaret Williams, a participant in the recent hearing. “We just need to go out and explain the benefits.”